1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an event data recorder, and more particularly, to an event data recorder which reduces power consumption in the parking mode.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An event data recorder or EDR is a device installed in automobiles to record information related to vehicle, such as crashes, accidents or thefts. Police, crash investigators, and others can download the data from the EDR's memory to help them better understand what happened to the vehicle and how the safety systems performed, and in some cases, help establish culpability. An EDR normally provides two operational modes: the driving mode and the parking mode.
FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a prior art EDR 100. The EDR 100 includes a screen 110, a memory module 120, a timing circuit 130, a control module 140, an image-recording module 150, a power supply module 160, and a transmitting interface 170. The image-recording module 150 is configured to perform video recording function. The screen 110 may display real-time images or previously recorded images. The memory module 120 is configured to store image data or the settings of the EDR 100. The timing circuit 130 is configured to provide reference clock signals for operating the EDR 100. The control module 140 is configured to control the operation of each device in the EDR 100. The transmitting interface 170 may be used for transmitting DATA, CSB, I2C and CLK signals.
In the driving mode, all devices in the EDR 100 are activated and the power supply module 160 may be provided by a car cigarette lighter. In the parking mode, the power supply module 160 may be provided by built-in or installed batteries of the EDR 100 or an automotive battery. Therefore, the operational time of the prior art EDR 100 is limited in the parking mode. The EDR 100 may fail to record events which occur after the automotive battery becomes flat, which also makes it difficult or unable to start the car.